Mexican carrier Volaris is hoping to add two more Chicago routes to its expanding U.S. network, as well as two more flights to Oakland, Calif., and another nonstop to Las Vegas. In the latest of a growing list of applications with the U.S. Transportation Department, the airline is requesting permission to serve Chicago from Aguascalientes and the carrier’s base in Toluca, while nonstops to Oakland are being planned from Morelia and Zacatecas. A Las Vegas route also is being proposed from Monterrey.
RwandAir took delivery of the first of two 737-800s from Boeing on Aug. 26, making it the first African carrier to own and operate an aircraft configured with the manufacturer’s Sky Interior cabin.
Should Airbus further boost the combined production rates of the single-aisle A320 series well beyond the currently planned 42 aircraft per month? The European manufacturer has to address this key question soon if it intends to handle the steady stream of sales that temporarily left Boeing’s far behind. But it is a complex question that is slowly evolving into a matter of taking calculated risks.
A Gulf Air passenger airplane skidded off the runway after landing in heavy rain Monday in the southern Indian city of Kochi, injuring several people. Officials at the Bahrain-based carrier say the accident happened before dawn as the Airbus A320 was attempting to land at Cochin International Airport, which is located about 25 km (16 mi.) north of the major port city of Kochi. Gulf Air Flight 270 was carrying six crew and 137 passengers. Several people sustained injuries during the evacuation of the aircraft, but no one was critically injured.
FAA is proposing nearly $600,000 in civil penalties against Capital Cargo International Airlines and The Parachute Center for allegedly operating aircraft not in compliance with federal regulations. Each has 30 days to respond.
Air Canada’s flight attendants, having roundly rejected the latest tentative agreement, are now readying to vote on strike authorization for their collective bargaining representative, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The strike authorization vote is scheduled to start Sept. 4 and will conclude 10 days later. A result is expected fairly soon after, says a CUPE spokesman, with Sept. 14 a likely date. The ballot will not guarantee a strike, but add the possibility of one to CUPE’s negotiation tactics.
Gulfstream Aerospace has appointed Jason Aiken CFO, succeeding Daniel Clare, who is now president of parent General Dynamics' subsidiary Jet Aviation. Kimberly Kuryea is now controller and corporate VP at Gulfstream.
All Nippon Airways says two of the 12 Boeing 787s it is due to take delivery of by the end of March will be configured for long-haul operations. The first of the long-haul 787s will be flown once a week on the Tokyo Haneda-Beijing route through December before moving to the newly announced Haneda-Frankfurt route a month later. The arrival of the second long-haul 787 will allow for daily Frankfurt flights in February.
Farelogix, which provides airlines and travel agents an alternative to global distribution systems, will venture into the business-to-consumer market with the planned Oct. 1 launch of iflybags.com. The site, making use of bag fee rules and data that 309 airlines file with the Airline Tariff Publishing Co. (ATPCO), will provide travelers flight-specific information on the amount of bag fees they will have to pay and advice on how to minimize the charges.
The International Air Transport Association plans to file a legal brief in support of the challenge Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines are mounting in U.S. District Court against some of the U.S. Transportation Department’s new passenger rights rules. The Air Transport Association already disclosed its intent to file in support.
A proposal to revise the travel policy to permit Tampa International Airport employees to fly business class has been rescinded after a review by CEO Joe Lopano. The proposal came from a subcommittee of the board of directors that reviewed the airport’s travel policy. Board members Stephen Burton and Joe Diaco recommended the change last week during a public meeting. The policy would have extended to flights taken by employees that are two hours or longer, either domestic or international. Business class or its equivalent would have been acceptable.
Air Tahiti Nui plans to continue flying its Airbus A340-300s until 2018-2020; however, the company’s board of directors has decided to reduce the fleet from five to four aircraft. The surplus jet is to be sold or leased out as soon as possible. Air Tahiti Nui says it can fly its current program with four aircraft.
A small ray of hope still shines for Mexicana de Aviacion now that a Mexican bankruptcy judge has decided not to reinstate a deadline for it reorganization plan that was lifted earlier this month. This ruling extends the company’s bankruptcy past the first anniversary of its grounding although it is unclear how long this respite will last. The court’s decision acknowledges a problem with debt and ownership issues that concern the three bidders now conducting due diligence.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Aug. 29-Sept. 1—Airports Council International-NA Public Safety & Security Fall Conference, Washington, www.aci-na.org/conferences Aug. 30-31—Technology Training Corp. Military Vision Systems Conference, Holiday Inn, Alexandria, Va., 310-563-1210, fax 310-563-1220, www.ttcus.com
Burbank, Calif.-based cargo carrier Ameriflight is challenging a proposed $262,000 civil penalty and alleged drug and alcohol testing violations. FAA Friday announced the proposed penalty, alleging that Ameriflight conducted the required tests, but did not wait to receive verified negative drug test results before hiring 14 people to perform safety-sensitive flight and maintenance duties. The violations occurred between March 2009 and March 2010, the agency says.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs and Statistics, 12 Months Ended December 2010, Jet Aircraft (Pages 3 and 4 of 11) A319 Manufacturer: Airbus
Brazil'S GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes next month will introduce onboard streaming content for Apple’s series of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices. The system, called GOL NO AR, or GOL on Air, will stream news, television shows, sports and music to devices on each of the aircraft retrofitted with the system.
Tucson Airport Authority President and CEO Bonnie Allin has been appointed chair of the 2011-12 board of directors of the International Association of Airport Executives, a division of the American Association of Airport Executives. Vice chair will be Tonci Peovic, general manager of Zagreb, Croatia, Airport Ltd.
India’s private-sector carrier Kingfisher Airlines on Friday approved raising up to 20 billion rupees ($432.7 million) through a rights issue of shares in an effort to trim its huge debt. The company, backed financially by chairman and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has not given any time-frame or details of the proposed issue. The airline, which had reported a net loss of 2.6 billion rupees in the April-June quarter, has been trying to raise funds through a global depository receipts (GDR) issue of $250-$350 million.
Japan Airlines is expected to be the second carrier to receive a Boeing 787, and industry sources say it could be in late November. Launch customer ANA should have three 787s by then. The official line from JAL is that its first 787 will arrive by the end of this year. JAL has 35 787s on order, and it expects to take delivery of five through March 31.
Montreal interiors and heavy maintenance company Avianor is considering breaking into the aircraft recycling business by building a multi-million-dollar facility at Montreal Mirabel International Airport in Quebec.
